The 2016-17 College Basketball Season Has Officially Begun
On Tuesday, the 2016-17 college basketball season tipped-off on the ESPN networks, with teams from around the country starting their season. For teams such as Duke, Kentucky, Michigan State, Kansas, North Carolina, and Villanova, the regular season doesn’t mean much; it’s what happens in the month of March that truly matters. Duke, led by their legendary Coach K, are in pursuit of yet another National Championship, while the Wildcats, Jayhawks, Spartans, and Tar Heels look to make their own noise come the NCAA Tournament and overwhelm the Blue Devils.
There are other big-name programs, such as Arizona, Virginia, and Wisconsin who want to reach the next level, and there mid-major teams in lesser-known conferences who want to make a run towards a berth in the NCAA Tournament. And that is why the regular season is played.
College Basketball is played at an interesting time in the sports world: In the month of November, professional and college football seasons are almost over, the NBA is only several weeks into the season, and the same could be said for the NHL. Yes, NCAA basketball does get attention, but not as much as these other four sports leagues.
Nevertheless, college basketball is fun to watch, and the players who perform at a high level often gets drafted by an NBA team. My favorite NCAA men’s college hoops team is the Syracuse Orange. I like them for two reasons: first, they are a New York State-based university, and second, I like their team colors: blue and orange. I have Syracuse making a run to the Final Four.